NHL GameCenter streams hockey for less this year

Ted Kritsonis, WhatsYourTech.ca02.11.2013

The lockout-shortened season has reduced the price of an NHL GameCenter subscription this year, and the convenience of using it with multiple devices makes it a compelling option to watch out-of-market games.

Watching NHL games streaming onto your favourite devices is convenient when compared to cable or satellite, but in a season shortened by a bitter lockout, is the lower price for an NHL GameCenter subscription enough to win you over as a convert?

NHL GameCenter has a pretty strong presence on a number of platforms. It works on Windows PCs, Macs, iOS, Android, PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. On top of that, the Apple TV, Boxee Box, Roku, connected Sony set top boxes and even the new BlackBerry 10 platform are supported, too. The free version of the app offers scores, stats and post-game video highlights, but a subscription serves up live video streaming of out-of-market games and radio broadcasts. You can even choose between the home or away feeds.

The key to that is the “out-of-market” part of the equation. If you’re a fan of the Flames living in Calgary or the surrounding area, all the team’s games are blacked out (that also includes trying to watch the other team’s feed) because TV broadcasters have first rights for local broadcasts. If you like a team from any other city, you can watch all regular season games at your leisure on any of the devices listed above. That alone might be a deal-breaker for Flames fans, unless of course, you’re a Flames fan living in another city.

Watching is actually a nice experience. You can jump between games relatively quickly, and all commercials and intermissions are blacked out. The stream adjusts based on the quality your connection’s bandwidth and device can handle. That means you might start out with a blurry, pixilated view, and then settle into HD quality. Of course, if you plan to watch this a lot, you might have to revisit just how much bandwidth you get per month. Those “Lite” monthly plans from your Internet service provider won’t cut it.

It’s technically possible to share your account with a friend or relative as well. You can log in easily from an iPad, and have someone else do the same on a Roku player. Both can work simultaneously, as opposed to a Slingbox that streams a live TV signal to only one device at a time.

Performance seems to be great on computers and mobile devices, but it may stutter a bit more on media players and game consoles. Don’t be surprised if you find your own experience is a little mixed, as it looks like there’s room for improvement.

Still, it’s nice to be able to watch any game going back to the 2010-11 season, including playoffs. And if you missed a game, you can watch it after it’s already ended.

Right now, the price for this season is $49.99 (or two payments of 24.98), which is reasonable for what you get, and $100 less than what it would be if it had been an 82-game season back in October.

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